Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #6

[Sweetluv]

The fact that not one, but two people with recognizable faces cannot be ID is interesting....loved ones scared to come forward? I think it was an execution. Shot three times in three different places, but spared the face and head...i believe to be recognized, as if to send a message...

 

[Westy27]

This is a case I would love to see the DNA Doe Project tackle. Hopefully the Sumter Co. PD will reach out to them.

 

[stringofpurls]

This is a case I would love to see the DNA Doe Project tackle. Hopefully the Sumter Co. PD will reach out to them.

That's a good idea. Even if you can only identify one through it, it may get you to the other person as well if both people were known by the families.

 

[Bit of hope]

That's the way things go....so many people searching, theorizing, going over this case over and over again in the last years (and years), trying to find them, bring them back home. And nowadays just hoping for DNA Doe Project to pick the unidentified up. It's wonderful what they do. No doubt about that. I'm flabbergasted every single time. Just wondering what is the added value of forums like this? (besides social contact, keeping your brain working etc.) No judgment here. Open end....just want to know your opinion? Or to put it in another way...how can I be of real use.

 

[CCJD]

That's the way things go....so many people searching, theorizing, going over this case over and over again in the last years (and years), trying to find them, bring them back home. And nowadays just hoping for DNA Doe Project to pick the unidentified up. It's wonderful what they do. No doubt about that. I'm flabbergasted every single time. Just wondering what is the added value of forums like this? (besides social contact, keeping your brain working etc.) No judgment here. Open end....just want to know your opinion? Or to put it in another way...how can I be of real use.

Take the road less traveled. Find those cases that are being summarily ignored to work on. They may not be the most compelling, mysterious or "popular" but isn't that reason enough for someone, anyone, to give them some attention?

 

[T rex]

That's the way things go....so many people searching, theorizing, going over this case over and over again in the last years (and years), trying to find them, bring them back home. And nowadays just hoping for DNA Doe Project to pick the unidentified up. It's wonderful what they do. No doubt about that. I'm flabbergasted every single time. Just wondering what is the added value of forums like this? (besides social contact, keeping your brain working etc.) No judgment here. Open end....just want to know your opinion? Or to put it in another way...how can I be of real use.

Take the road less traveled. Find those cases that are being summarily ignored to work on. They may not be the most compelling, mysterious or "popular" but isn't that reason enough for someone, anyone, to give them some attention?

Good question and good answer. Here's another question. Do you have a DNA lab in your basement? I don't and even if I did I wouldn't know how to use it.
The DDP and other such organizations are doing a great service to everyone, society in general. Probably ninety percent of the cases that get solved from this point forward will be due to some kind of DNA or genealogical profiling. It is a given. It is a powerful thing and a good one.
That being said there's just not much that I can do for them. However (and I'm not trying to make anyone mad. Really Im not.) I personally wanna be a little more than just a cheerleader. I may not be all that good and I might fumble a lot and fall down a lot but I still like to get in the game every now and then and not just always stand on the sidelines.
You never know. What were doing here is more than just conversing with each other. We are creating a record. A permanent one. If nothing else, maybe someday, possibly years from now, someone will come behind us and get some inspiration or find that one tidbit of information that we left behind because we didn't know what to do with it and use it to make some progress in a case. Who knows?
I fully expect and hope for DDP and others to continue their good work into the future but in the meantime. Happy sleuthing. Right? Right.

 

[dotr]

Good question and good answer. Here's another question. Do you have a DNA lab in your basement? I don't and even if I did I wouldn't know how to use it.
The DDP and other such organizations are doing a great service to everyone, society in general. Probably ninety percent of the cases that get solved from this point forward will be due to some kind of DNA or genealogical profiling. It is a given. It is a powerful thing and a good one.
That being said there's just not much that I can do for them. However (and I'm not trying to make anyone mad. Really Im not.) I personally wanna be a little more than just a cheerleader. I may not be all that good and I might fumble a lot and fall down a lot but I still like to get in the game every now and then and not just always stand on the sidelines.
You never know. What were doing here is more than just conversing with each other. We are creating a record. A permanent one. If nothing else, maybe someday, possibly years from now, someone will come behind us and get some inspiration or find that one tidbit of information that we left behind because we didn't know what to do with it and use it to make some progress in a case. Who knows?
I fully expect and hope for DDP and others to continue their good work into the future but in the meantime. Happy sleuthing. Right? Right.

Right on!

 

[Ozoner]

The fact that not one, but two people with recognizable faces cannot be ID is interesting....loved ones scared to come forward? I think it was an execution. Shot three times in three different places, but spared the face and head...i believe to be recognized, as if to send a message...

In 1976, you didn't have cable news networks that broadcast worldwide, you didn't have the internet, and you didn't have communication between law enforcement agencies in different counties let alone different states or countries. Most people didn't even have color television sets; most people got their news from newspapers. If pictures of the two people had been distributed throughout Canada in 1976, then I think that they would have been identified long ago.
The two people were murdered while traveling across the US, so it may have been a long time before anyone realized that they were missing—and that's if anyone ever did. If they were estranged from their families, then it's likely that no missing persons reports were ever filed.

 

[Bit of hope]

Thanks everybody for the inspiring answers. I can and will be keeping on to advocate for the less "popular" UID's. The ones I research are mostly the "underdogs", the so called (or at least threated as) under-people as it comes to the effort LE puts into it or have in the past. I'm happy to see this is changing through the years. And I say this with a lot of compassion and love for humans in general; the misfits (or what our society sees as misfits). Yes, "happy" sleuthing here.

And yes....I want to be a little bit more then a cheerleader (saying this with respect to all of the people of are or were, I think it's totally OK) In fact we don't even have them here (only with the -Dutch- American Football games)

 

[Sweetluv]

What ever became of the Mcminns theory?

 

[TedMac]

What ever became of the Mcminns theory?

They are now on the "Rule Out" list.

 

[AliceInPain]

I may have missed a post but why are the DNA doe Project not working this? Is it because LE hasn't reached out to them? Seems like such an easy case to solve for a group with resources like that. Or maybe the local police enjoy the attention they get from an unsolved mystery?
I think there may be answers online, like "Lyle Stevik"'s brother was asking for him, maybe in old forgotten forums and search places.
This case is so solvable, why hasn't it been?

 

[scmom]

I may have missed a post but why are the DNA doe Project not working this? Is it because LE hasn't reached out to them? Seems like such an easy case to solve for a group with resources like that. Or maybe the local police enjoy the attention they get from an unsolved mystery?
I think there may be answers online, like "Lyle Stevik"'s brother was asking for him, maybe in old forgotten forums and search places.
This case is so solvable, why hasn't it been?

I don't think anyone in Sumter county has taken any interest in the case since the retired coroner, Verna Moore.

 

[Bit of hope]

For one thing I hope that Sumpter county LE, swallow there pride and recognize their mistakes, and let DNA Doe take a look at this case. It's been to long that this two beautiful people are unidentified.

Again....this case is ridicule in a lot of ways. In my heart there is a place for Jane and Jock...come on.....FGS.....and yes...if some brain cell (sorry) will take them to Doe DNA I will be gladly donating (if I find out a modern way to do it)

 

[Triss]

I may have missed a post but why are the DNA doe Project not working this? Is it because LE hasn't reached out to them? Seems like such an easy case to solve for a group with resources like that. Or maybe the local police enjoy the attention they get from an unsolved mystery?
I think there may be answers online, like "Lyle Stevik"'s brother was asking for him, maybe in old forgotten forums and search places.
This case is so solvable, why hasn't it been?

Yes, I do believe that the reason why the DDP isn't working on this case is because LE hasn't reached out to them. I wonder what can we do to inspire them to reach out to DDP? DNA Doe Project has a list of cases suggested to them by people and our mystery couple is on that list.

 

[Ozoner]

I'm sure Sumter County has numerous violent offenders at large, and they know that the likely perp in this case (Lonnie Henry) is dead and buried, so it isn't surprising that it's on the back burner. Pressure from the public might move the needle eventually.

 

[T rex]

I'm sure Sumter County has numerous violent offenders at large, and they know that the likely perp in this case (Lonnie Henry) is dead and buried, so it isn't surprising that it's on the back burner. Pressure from the public might move the needle eventually.

If their just gonna keep it on the back burner you would think that would be all the more reason to simply turn it over to someone else. One formal request is all it would take.

 

[T rex]

A few months back I was searching around trying to somehow tie the suspect to the Latta SC area.(other than the fact that's where he was arrested.) I came across a doctor from Canada. He had his practice in Michigan for many years and then apparently retired to Latta where is wife was from. Just yesterday day I was looking at Namus and remembered it so I searched that surname and this missing person came up. Lindsay McDougall. The timeline is off but everything else could work. I have not been able to make a connection between him and the doctor but still thought it was interesting and worth posting. I also have not made a connection between George Henry and the doctor although it is still a possibility. I have noticed some family names in common but no direct connection.
I know these unidentifieds are probably not in a database but it's possible that at least one of them could somehow still be.
Here is the Namus page for Lindsay McDougall and he has a thread here.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

CA - CA - Lindsay Grant McDougall, 32, Santa Rosa, 9 Sept 1984

 

[Ozoner]

I don't see any direct connection, but the two cases could hint at some kind of criminal organization centered in or around Latta in the 70s and 80s. My first guess would be a stolen car/vehicle ring because I think that the Sumter County Does were probably killed for their motorcycle.

 

[T rex]

I don't see any direct connection, but the two cases could hint at some kind of criminal organization centered in or around Latta in the 70s and 80s. My first guess would be a stolen car/vehicle ring because I think that the Sumter County Does were probably killed for their motorcycle.

Speaking of motorcycles and criminal organizations, like many other parts of the country around here in the 60's, 70's and on up into the 80's we had a thing known as the biker wars.
I will not call them by name for the obvious reasons but one of these organizations had a hold on North Carolina and Florida and a rival was over South Carolina and I think Georgia too. Anyway they were going at it hot and heavy.
These people were very territorial, highly aggressive, and had no mercy on anyone they perceived as being a threat and this included even law enforcement.
Some people may not believe it but in those days just doing something as simple as riding a bike in South Carolina while wearing a shirt with anything to do with Florida on it could have been enough to got you killed especially if you were a stranger and hanging around the area for too long. Now if just passing through on the interstate you would probably be alright. And yea they would have known what to do with the bike too.
The main thing that makes me doubt a scenario like this one is the fact that the female victim was unscathed up to the point of her murder. They probably wouldn't have killed her, at least not right then. I'm not trying to sound sordid or anything like that but it's the truth.